We can’t give 1:1 or emergency support for people in a crisis. If this is what you need right now, you can find ways to access it on our website.
I need urgent helpSharing your experience of mental health problems with national Mind.
This opportunity is totally optional – only do this if you’re interested and feel comfortable to do so.
Real life experiences are important to us. Our team at Mind (The Voices team) are looking to hear from people who have experience of mental health problems, particularly those that have used our Side by Side service. In this post, we’ll share information on what working with us might look like, as well as how to register your potential interest.
Who are the Voices team and what do we do?
Our team collects real life experiences from people who have accessed Mind’s services. We also collect experiences from people who have mental health problems or have close connections to those that do. We arrange and conduct interviews with people interested in sharing their experience. This interview is then written up into a transcript that Mind may share quotes from across lots of different places. The person being interviewed will always have a say in how their experience is used, and nothing will be published without their knowledge and approval.
You do not have to share your name or any identifiable features publicly, if you feel more comfortable, we can work with you to protect your anonymity. Our main aim is to make this a positive and empowering experience, we’ll always put your needs and preferences first.
We are a fairly new team at Mind, but that doesn’t mean that helping people share their experience is new to Mind. You might have heard this referenced to as stories, case studies, or testimonials before.
What does working with us involve?
By working with us, you would become one of our “Voices” for Mind. Once we have collected your experience in an interview, we’d be on the lookout for lots of different ways to share your experience in Mind’s work. We might use your experience in different things, such as:
- A quote in a social media post
- A video of a person explaining their story
- A series of photos for a fundraising appeal
- A speech at an event
We will keep you updated on the impact of sharing your experience, we love to let you know the difference that you have made. As the amount of people we work with grow, we will also look for opportunities to come together in person and virtually to celebrate our achievements and connect with each other.
Sharing your experience to Mind is a very personal moment. We’re here to support people with lived experience to share their experience in ways that work for them. Whatever the opportunity may be, you will be supported by Mind every step of the way.
How do I get involved?
We’d love to hear form anyone that’s interested in taking part. To help make the process a little simpler, we’ve created a Microsoft Form to register your interest. This form will ask you some basic information about yourself. Such as, your contact information, your interaction with Mind and some basic information about yourself and your experience. Information you give in this form will only be used to contact you about working with the Voices team, it will not be shared anywhere else.
We won’t be able to work with everyone that gets in contact with you, but we’ll always get back to you, usually within 5 working days.
Any other questions?
We’re a small and friendly team made up of two people (Charlie and Phil). Our inbox is always open to questions, so please do feel free to get in touch with us at any point. Please email stories@mind.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
We will soon be launching a page on the Mind website where you can learn more about the team, see what we have worked on already, as well as register your interest.
Our supporter promise
We're Mind. And we only exist because of the fantastic support of people like you.
We want you to know that we value your support, whether that's through taking action, giving up your time, being a member, fundraising, making a gift in your will, supporting our shops or donating.
We're committed to treating you with respect and openness, so we've made this promise to you.